Velma is executive produced by showrunner Charlie Grandy and Mindy Kaling, who also voices the titular character. The first two episodes of the thrilling adult animated comedy series are now streaming on HBO Max!

VELMA tells the origin story of Velma Dinkley, the unsung and underappreciated brains of the Scooby-Doo Mystery Inc. gang. This original and humorous spin unmasks the complex and colorful past of one of America’s most beloved mystery solvers.

“I mean, one of the greatest things about Velma is that she doesn’t have this sort of like traditional cartoon look, even though she’s from this period of time when all of the female animated characters looked a certain way and it was really ahead of its time. She was so ahead of its time,” Kaling expressed to me. “Her physicality was really important because we wanted to honor that, you know? That she’s the brains behind this group. She’s so cute and has a very unique look, and it’s like, now there’s so much talk about body positivity and all that. We just wanted to make sure to honor what she really looked like, and I think the animators did such a good job with that.”

We discussed the two big mysteries that Velma is determined to solve this season as well as the decision to include things like mental health and body image.

Watch my full interview below: